It's hard to believe that it's been 40 years (almost to the day) that Star Trek premiered. There's a wonderful interview with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner posted on CNN that demonstrates the vim and vigor these 70-somethings still have.

Star Trek is an enormously important cultural phenomenon, whether we want to admit it or not, but it was based on the most essential things that make good TV. Like Six Feet Under, the original Star Trek (at least for the first two seasons) had characters you cared about, whose relationships were complex, and who worked together to solve complex problems. Yes, it was sold as "wagon train to the stars", but when my girlfriend and I watched "The Man Trap" again tonight on it's 40th anniversary, we were most impressed by the complexity of the world it presented. Something tells me that if Star Trek were premiering today, it would be on HBO.